The Emperor returned to Novara for the night, and made out the necessary orders for a general movement forward of the allied armies on the following day. These orders were changed next morning in several of their details. As they were based on no precise knowledge of the enemy’s position and movements, they were again upset by the fighting and surprises of the midday. II.--THE RIDE OF THE COMMANDANT. At six o’clock in the morning of the 4th of June, Napoleon despatched Commandant Schmitz of his staff with his final orders. “Go first to the King. Inform him of my march forward, and tell him to begin moving his men, following Camou over the left side of the river.” This was for Victor Emanuel, who was in command of 22,000 men, one-half of the Italian regiments of the allied armies. He was but a short distance to the west of the pontoon bridges which had been thrown across the Ticino at Porto di Turbigo. “Go on next to the Ticino. I have ordered two of the bridges to be brought down to San Martino, to hasten what will be the long crossing of our own troops.” The Emperor referred to the main portion of his army, made up of the 41,000 men of Canrobert and Niel, who were still back of Novara, and of 40,000 more belonging to the corps of Baraguey d’Hilliers and the second Italian division. The latter were so many miles in the rear that they could be of no use in any battle to be fought that day. “Then find MacMahon, who must be already beyond Turbigo. Ask him what he counts on doing if he has the enemy in his front. Inform him of the march and position of the Guard, which he has at his right.” This was General Mellinet’s division, which had been detached from Camou and was already across the river at San Martino. With the remainder of the Guard under Camou, and the entire divisions of Espinasse and Lamotterouge, this brought to 32,000 the number of men sharing in MacMahon’s offensive movement on Magenta. “I shall be at Trecate” (halfway from Novara to the bridge of San Martino), continued the Emperor, “at noon precisely. Make the entire round, and be exact in reporting to me at that hour.” The line of march thus formed left MacMahon in command of the left wing of the army. This was already in great part across both river and canal, and was to be followed closely by King Victor Emanuel with his Italian regiments as a reserve. The Emperor was commanding in person the centre and right--that is, the long line of troops which was to advance, division after division, along the high road of Milan. He had to expect a sharp fight in forcing the strong defensive positions held by the enemy where the road crosses the canal, before reaching Magenta. The movement of MacMahon’s corps on Magenta from the other side was designed by him to divide the Austrian forces during this attack.